Carlinville native at helm of Russia inquiries

Tom Emery, For the Journal-Courier

Published 4:33 am, Sunday, March 26, 2017

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Evan Vucci | AP Dana Boente leaves federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2014. Boente is a Carlinville native who became acting U.S. attorney general after President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates. less

Evan Vucci | AP Dana Boente leaves federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2014. Boente is a Carlinville native who became acting U.S. attorney general after President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney ... more

Carlinville native at helm of Russia inquiries

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CARLINVILLE — Dana Boente can only smile when he thinks of the events of the past few weeks.

“It’s been a whirlwind, for sure,” said Boente, a Carlinville native who served an 11-day stint as acting U.S. attorney general last month. “There’s been a lot going on.”

Boente, 63, was appointed acting attorney general on Jan. 30 to replace Sally Yates, who was dismissed by President Donald Trump for refusing to enact the administration’s executive orders on immigration. He remained in the position until Feb. 9, when former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was sworn as attorney general.

Still, Boente remains in the news. He subsequently became the acting deputy attorney general, the second-highest ranking law enforcement official in the Department of Justice. It, too, will be a temporary position, as it is expected that Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, will be confirmed as deputy later this spring.

Boente continues handling high-profile matters following revelations that Sessions failed to disclose meetings with a Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Russian involvement in the election, which will be overseen by Boente.

Sessions announced that Boente would “act as and perform the functions of the attorney general with respect to any matters from which I have recused myself.”

When Sessions requested the resignations of the remaining 46 U.S. attorneys from the Obama administration, it was reported that Boente’s resignation was not accepted by the White House. Boente’s normal role is U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a position he has held since December 2015.

“I expect to remain as deputy for three more weeks or so,” Boente remarked during a recent visit to Carlinville. “I hope to be back in my old office by Easter.”

During these past weeks, Boente has been based in the nation’s capital in familiar surroundings.

“I’m back in the main justice building” he said. “But I’m comfortable there, since I spent 14 years in that building earlier in my career, when I was with the tax division. I’m actually on the same floor.”

Boente, who regularly worked 75-hour weeks as U.S. attorney, adds “the workload in these new roles hasn’t been all that different. After all these years, I’m used to it.”

This August, Boente will mark 35 years with the Department of Justice. He is a 1972 graduate of Carlinville High School, where he played four years of football, and a 1977 graduate of Saint Louis University. He earned a law degree from the school in 1982.

Boente, who lives in northern Virginia, makes frequent trips home to Carlinville, where his mother and many of his relatives live. The Boente family operates a chain of 11 Shell service stations and convenience stores across the area.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to my old office (in Virginia),” said Boente. “But being with the Department of Justice has been a great opportunity for me. I’m certainly glad I’ve had it.”